Raedwen
Description Raedwen emerged as small autonomous state within a far larger empire. Lord Raedwen, the ruling authority of the period led a small scale rebellion and secured greater rights for his region. As the encompassing empire weakened, Raedwen expanded and annexed nearby lands. Following the total collapse of the empire a near century later, the nation of Raedwen emerged as a new Kingdom led ruled by King Athal, the grandson of Lord Raedwen. The kingdom continued to expand over the following century and the current borders were settled in 774. Government Raedwen is a monarchy and the current ruler is King Raedan II. The region is split into six minor regions and each is governed by a steward, each of who reports directly to the King. Similarly, alongside the King, a governing body of councilors assists the King in the running of the nation. This body is comprised of the King, the Queen, the Royal Steward, Lord of the Royal Guard, Lord Chancellor, the Mayor and the Heir of the nation. Economy The economy of Raedwen is split between trade and agriculture. A fertile region with swathes of arable land, the countryside is dominated by farms and agrarian workers. The rivers allow for rapid trade within the nation to occur and ensures that produce for exportation can reach the coastal ports in abundance with speed. Cash crops such as wheat are the most abundant form of produce that the Kingdom exports. Trade is conducted across the continent and dry and less arable nations in the upper central regions are often dependent on Raedweni produce in famine years. It also trades prolifically with neighbours such as Kaerlean and Altheam, the former borders the nation to the north and the other is easily accessed by the sea. Although agriculture is the foundation of the Raedweni economy, industry has taken some hold in the nation, goods made of silk and wool are also common and the exportation of metals from the northern mines also generates some revenue. Military With a population of just over twelve million and a strong economic base, Raedwen has been able to establish a strong and professional military. This is composed of a standing army of twelve thousand soldiers. This is split into three branches, the Northern Army, Central Army and Southern Army. Each is composed of four thousand men. One branch is actively at rest whilst the other two are in operation and this rotates throughout the year at three monthly intervals. Therefore the nation always has an active and rested army capable of defending the nation. Aside from the standing army, each city, town and village has its own guard with members being professional and recruited from the settlement. This forms a large auxiliary force of professionals who can be mustered in times of need or crisis. The capital Reach has roughly five hundred guardsmen for a population of sixty-nine thousand. Geography A geographically small nation located in the central region of the world. It is dominated by the coast on three sides and shares two landed borders with other nations. The terrain is predominantly flat, with some rolling hills and a minor mountain range to the north east. One major river known as the Black River flows from the mountains in the north east all the way to the western coast. The tributaries and the river dominate swathes of the land and subsequently agriculture rules the terrain.